1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of remote control. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of remotely monitoring and controlling target system(s).
2. Description of the Related Art
Field service and maintenance of electrically-powered systems, e.g., database or video servers, at remote locations is generally a labor-intensive and hence an expensive activity. For example, after a power outage has occurred at a remote location, it is often necessary to power up the various systems in a particular order or sequence in order to minimize the risk of damaging the hardware and/or software/data of these systems. An exemplary conventional remote control device is disclosed in the parent application cited above.
Although conventional remote control devices are available for pre-defined installations, they are very limited in capability and not easily reconfigurable. Typically, commercially-available remote control devices are accessed by a system administrator via a pair of modems and a telephone line. Typically, these remote control devices are capable of remotely powering up/down a system or a bank of systems simultaneously, under the direct control of the system administrator.
Unfortunately, the system administrator or a service personnel has to visit the remote location each time a new system is added/deleted or when the existing systems need to be reconfigured. This is because, typically, each remote control device is dedicated to a single system or a bank of systems. As a result, these remote control devices are inflexible in their control of the systems.
Hence there is a need for a versatile, easily-configurable remote control device that can monitor status(es) of one or more systems and provide flexibility in controlling these systems.